I suspect that only applies to the cores of European cities - most have got much larger since the car was invented and the newer areas were definitely designed with cars in mind.
e.g. Maps of Edinburgh over a few centuries:
https://maps.nls.uk/towns/edinburgh-city.html
Even in the 1920s Edinburgh was pretty small compared to its current extent.
I suspect that only applies to the cores of European cities - most have got much larger since the car was invented and the newer areas were definitely designed with cars in mind.
e.g. Maps of Edinburgh over a few centuries:
https://maps.nls.uk/towns/edinburgh-city.html
Even in the 1920s Edinburgh was pretty small compared to its current extent.